The Queen's Beast
by GhostAuthor
Summary: AU Rumbelle. I have no summary for this one, guys. Read the Author's Note inside. It should explain everything.


**Disclaimer:**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Author's Note: What started out as a simple one-shot turned into this. I was inspired by the anime Hellsing and the story ****Beauty** in **Surrender** by Sapsorrow86. If you haven't read the story yet, I highly recommend it. Check out Hellsing too if you like vampires and aren't squeamish. Don't forget to check out the poll on my profile, and remember, reviews, like Batman pajamas, make excellent birthday gifts. (The PJs are ultra comfy, don't judge me.)  


Careful.

Just a little bit more and he'd be free.

A soft hand quickly snapped around his wrist like a steel trap, and Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened. Busted. Two blue eyes slowly opened and glared at him.

"Again, Rumpel?" the beauty said with a yawn. He glared at her use of his hated nickname. "This is the third time you've tried and failed to get your dagger back since my father's death."

He gave her a weak smile. "You know what they say, dearie. If at first you don't succeed…"

Belle kept glaring at him and grabbed the dagger he'd tried to take from under her pillow with her free hand. She pulled it out and released his wrist.

"I order you to tell me why you keep trying to steal this. Have I really treated you that horribly since I got your dagger?"

There was a hint of sadness in her voice, but Rumpelstiltskin ignored it and sneered at her. "You haven't yet, but you will. Just like you father before you did once he got my dagger. Sooner or later you're going to turn me into your pet."

"I have no desire for a pet. What I want from you is you help. I have no idea how to run a kingdom, but you've been by my father's side for years."

"Not by choice," the imp muttered. "and I'm afraid I can't help you run anything, princess. I was never around your father when he made decisions. He kept me locked in the dungeon until he needed me to kill someone and put me back when he was done with me."

Belle's eyes widened at his words. "My papa wouldn't do that. He wasn't that cruel."

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. Queen or not, she was still the same naive girl. "You didn't know your father as well as you think then, dearie. That heartless bastard used me like I was just a common sword, a weapon only for killing. If I disobeyed, he had his clerics 'cleanse' me and ordered me not to heal myself until he felt I'd suffered enough for his liking. Would you like to see the scars?"

Belle's hand went to cover her mouth. She wanted to so badly believe that he was lying, but he had no reason to lie about something like this. She then remembered days where she was forbidden to go see him. Her father had told her that it was because he was resting and did not want to be disturbed, but she knew Rumpelstiltskin rarely slept.

Rumpelstiltskin kept his eyes on her as she processed this. He then smelled salt in the air. She was crying. Why would she cry for him? A beast did not deserve the tears of anyone let one those of a princess. He quickly conjured up a handkerchief and held it out to her.

"Save your tears, dearie. What's done is done. Not even I can change the past."

She took it and quickly dried her eyes. She then did something completely odd. Belle pulled him into a tight hug and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Rumpelstiltskin. Had I known, I would have helped you."

He patted her back awkwardly. He hadn't been touched by anyone for reasons other than to cause him pain let alone hugged in decades. "You would've tried, but your father was a stubborn man. I doubt it would have helped much."

"Still," she said, pulling away and looking him in the eyes. "I am sorry he hurt you. Know that I would never do something like that to you."

For the first time in weeks, he smiled at her. "I know, dearie. I know."

Belle was kind. Belle was sweet, and gentle, and nice. It wasn't in her nature to harm someone for fun. That was his job from now on.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin didn't try to escape again after that. Instead, he moved into the room across from Belle's and became her second shadow. Wherever she went, he wasn't far behind. Neither of them minded this arrangement, and he'd even started sitting to her right at dinner. A few people were wary of him at first, but soon realized the beast was completely under the control of their Queen and opened up to him. All was well for years until one evening.

It was time for dinner, and he was late. The problem at the kingdom's border had taken longer than he'd expected. Dinner was probably already being served, and he was hungry from working all day. Then again, he was almost always hungry.

"Sorry, I'm late, my Queen," he said, striding into the dining hall. "There were more invaders than we anticipated."

"They weren't too much trouble I hope."

"Of course not." Rumpelstiltskin then noticed that the seat to Belle's right was occupied. "Who is this, and why is he in _my _seat?"

"This is Sir Gaston," one of Belle's advisers said. The portly man reminded Rumpel of a pig so much that he'd once made a tail appear on him. Belle had laughed but quickly made him get rid of it. From then on, he was known as Porky. "He has come to work out a union between our kingdom and his father's."

Union? That could only mean that she would have to marry him. Rumpel looked up at Belle. Her eyes were practically pleading with him to get her out of there. One distraction, coming up.

"That still does not explain why his royal assness is in my seat, Porky."

"Your name is not on this seat, beast," Gaston said. "I can sit wherever I wish. This will all soon be mine."

"That's where you're wrong. Check the armrests." Gaston looked down. Rumpelstiltskin's name was indeed carved on both rests. He'd ordered a carpenter named Geppetto to do this specifically when he had the chair made. "See? Now, I'd appreciate it if you got up so that I could eat before your fat arse messes up the cushion."

Gaston rose and turned out to be a head taller than Rumpel. This mattered little to the Dark-One, and he easily brushed past the larger man and sat down. With Rumpel there, there were no more seats left at the table for Gaston. Rumpelstiltskin knew this and settled down in his seat happily before filling his plate, completely ignoring the angry man beside him.

"Are you going to let this monster insult your fiance like this, Belle?" Gaston demanded.

"Our marriage is not set in stone yet, Sir Gaston," Belle said with a glare. "You would do well to remember that, and I did warn you not to sit there. And, if you call him a monster again, I will show you just how monstrous _I _can be."

Shocked that Belle had defended Rumpelstiltskin, Gaston stormed out of the hall in a huff. Everyone's eyes were on Belle one he left. All was silent until Rumpelstiltskin let out a large burp. He'd cleaned his entire plate in minutes.

"So, what's for dessert?"

* * *

"Gods, that man is infuriating!"

Rumpelstiltskin took another swig from his flask and watched Belle get ready for bed. He was sitting on top of her four-poster bed and could see all the room. He did this so much that Belle once told him that he reminded her of a large bird with scales surveying the land beneath him from his nest. He'd laughed and slept atop the bed that night to prove point. He'd even woken her up by cawing loudly the next morning.

"He's not the most charming man in the world, I admit, but he can't be that bad."

"Yes, he is Rum! He's arrogant, dimwitted, and belligerent. All he talks about are his stupid hunting trips, and he even had the nerve to tell me to enjoy running the kingdom while I can before we're married."

"No!" He said mock-seriously. Truthfully, Gaston did sound pretty bad, but seeing his Queen so flustered was amusing.

"Yes! If I have to marry that man, I'll go insane before the honeymoon is over."

"You say that like being insane is a bad thing, dearie. I'm insane and perfectly fine."

Belle laughed and looked up at him. "That makes absolutely no sense what so ever. Just how drunk are you?"

He smiled down at her and drunk once again from the flask. "I'm merely a bit buzzed, my Queen. Don't worry."

"Good. I wouldn't want my owl falling from his perch."

Rumpel chuckled, but they both knew he wouldn't fall. He had balance that could rival a cat's, and he always seemed to land on his feet. "If you want, I can make sure that Gaston takes a little fall off of the cliff outside. We could say it was an accident."

Belle giggled at the thought of Rumpel pushing Gaston off the cliff behind the castle with an innocent that smile on his face. "No, but I'll keep that in mind if I ever get really tired of him.

He hopped down from his perch and immediately went into a low bow. "Say the word, and it shall be done with pleasure, my Queen."

Belle sat down in front of her vanity and grabbed a brush. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Rumpel smiled and came to stand behind her. With one hand on her shoulder, he took the brush and began to slowly brush her hair. Belle smiled at him in the mirror and leaned back against him. Rumpelstiltskin was the only one who could untangle her messy curls without hurting her, and he loved doing it. Belle had treated him better than anyone ever had. Brushing her hair was the least he could do. Plus, it was extremely relaxing having her so close to him.

"Once of these days I'm going to cut this off so that you won't have to do this every night," she said suddenly.

He tugged lightly on a lock of her hair. "Don't you dare. I don't mind doing this, my Queen. I would do anything for you."

She rested her hand over the one on her shoulder. "I know."

"I love you, Belle."

He whispered it so softly that she almost didn't hear it. Her eyes widened, and she turned to look at him. "You what?"

"I love you." Out of nowhere, he dropped the brush on the vanity and kissed her.

Belle was shocked to say the least, and she quickly stood up and moved away from him. "That was… Y-you can't love me, Rumpel."

Rumpel felt his heart break at her words. "I see how it is then. Good night, Your Majesty."

Without another word, he was gone from her room in a puff of smoke. When he was gone, Belle sat down on her bed and cried. The hurt look in his eyes killed her. She had to fix this.

* * *

How could have been so stupid? She was a queen. She was royalty, and he was nothing more than her pet beast. There was no way she could ever love him. The door to his room began to open, and Rumpelstiltskin grabbed another random item and threw it at the door.

"Go away!"

"Rumpelstiltskin please let me explain." It was Belle. The woman who had just broken his heart was outside his door.

"What is there to explain?! You made it pretty clear that I'm a beast that could never love you!"

"I'm sorry, Rum. Let me in so that I can talk to you."

He felt the familiar tingle of his dagger and made to door open using magic. Belle entered the room and gasped at the sight of it. The entire room was a mess. Upon returning after the kiss, he'd destroyed nearly everything in his room in a fit of rage. Rumpelstiltskin sat up in his bed to look at her.

"What is it, Your Majesty? Come to punish me for kissing you?"

"I have never punished you before, and I'm not going to do it now. I came to apologize."

"Apologize for what? I was the one dumb enough to kiss you. I should have known better. I forgot my place."

"Don't say that. You're not some animal. You're my friend, and I'm not mad that you kissed me. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it."

Rumpel blinked. "Really?"

She approached him slowly and sat down next to him on his bed. She folded her hands on her lap and refused to look at him. "Yes. The reason I said that you couldn't love me is because I don't deserve you."

Now he was confused. Did she really just say that _she_ didn't deserve _him_? "What in the hell gave you that idea?"

"Rum. You are the sweetest and most loving man I know. You would gladly give your life for me without a second thought. You deserve better than a spoiled queen."

To her surprise, he started laughing. Rumpel fell back on the bed clutching his sides in laughter. When he finished, he sat up once again with a crazy grin on his face.

"Gaston really did drive you insane. You actually think you're spoiled? You are a generous, caring, and beautiful woman, Belle. You were the first person that made me feel like I was something more than a monster. Why else do you think I would die for you? Even when you were a child, you weren't scared of me and wanted to play with me all the time. You even made me have a tea party with you. I wouldn't do that for just anyone, you know."

Belle smiled at the memory and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'd never seen a man with gold skin before, and you never failed to make me laugh. You still don't."

"Happy to be of service, but seriously, Belle," he said, cupped her face with his hand. "You are nothing less than perfect in my eyes. I'd be the happiest man alive if you were mine."

Belle looked at him with a small smile. "I'd enjoy having you as well."

Rumpel smiled back at her before leaning in for a kiss. This time she did not pull away. Belle returned the kiss with equal passion and ran her fingers through his hair. They remained that way until they needed air, and Belle gasped when she pulled away. Rumpel's skin was no longer its greyish shade. His hands and face had returned to its original pink coloring.

"Rum. You're face."

Rumpel looked at his hands and gasped. "True Love's Kiss," he whispered. "My curse is gone."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice, and Belle kissed his cheek. She pulled out his dagger. "At least I won't have to use this anymore."

He looked down at the dagger and started laughing. "No you won't, dearie. Look at the dagger."

His name was still on the dagger, and etched on the once blank side of the dagger was Belle's name. Just to be sure, he reached out with his magic and closed the door. It was then that he felt the huge source of power next to him. Belle had magic.

"How?" she asked.

Rumpel shrugged. "I guess your love for me made you take some of my curse. You have magic, and I look like a regular man. Sounds like a fair trade to me."

Belle laughed. "Though I will miss the gold skin, I have always wanted to learn magic."

"Excellent!" he cried, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "We'll start in the morning. When I'm done, you'll be a more powerful queen than Regina. I can even teach you how to turn Gaston into a skunk."

"I'd rather have a rose if you don't mind, less stench," she said with a laugh. "and until I learn for myself, I'd be grateful if you took me back to my chambers."

Rumpel smiled at her and pressed his forehead to hers. "Really now? Just how grateful would you be?"

Belle ran her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. "Grateful enough to share my bed with a beast tonight. Maybe even for all the nights to come."

He leaned in for another kiss, and before she knew it, they were on her bed. Rumpel broke away happily and fell back on the bed with a smug smile. His bed may have been as soft as hers, but it didn't have her delicious scent. "I could get used to this."

Belle smiled with his and slid underneath the covers with him. Rumpel immediately rolled over and pulled her against his chest. Belle sight contently and inhaled his scent. "You know, I think I could get used to this as well."

Rumpel smiled and kissed her forehead. "Good. Sleep well, my Queen. Your Beast isn't going anywhere."

_**FIN**_


End file.
